Developing a cardiology-oncology clinical practice guideline

Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Cardiometabolism

Women's health and sex differences research remain understudied. In 2016, to address the topic of sex differences, the Center for Women' s Health Research (CWHR) at the University of Colorado (cwhr@ucdenver.edu) held its inaugural National Conference, "Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Metabolism" and published a report summarizing the presentations. Two years later, in 2018, CWHR organized the 2nd National Conference. The research presentations and discussions from the 2018 conference also addressed sex differences across the lifespan with a focus on cardiometabolism and expanded the focus by including circadian physiology and effects of sleep on cardiometabolic health. Over 100 participants, including basic scientists, clinicians, policymakers, advocacy group leaders, and federal agency leadership participated. The meeting proceedings reveal that although exciting advances in the area of sex differences have taken place, significant questions and gaps remain about women's health and sex differences in critical areas of health. Identifying these gaps and the subsequent research that will result may lead to important breakthroughs.

Cancer and the Broken Heart: Complications and Implications of Therapy-Related Cardiotoxicity

The growing number of adult long-term cancer survivors has expanded our knowledge of negative physiologic sequelae associated with curative therapies. Of note are the cardiovascular corollaries of chest radiotherapy and some commonly used chemotherapy agents. A contemporary understanding of risk factors has facilitated the development of guidelines for prevention and surveillance of cardiac compromise. The future holds promise with enhanced opportunities to use cardioprotectant drugs and biomarkers to prevent and detect early myocardial changes. Infusion therapy nurses must keep abreast of these developments to facilitate their roles as patient educators and advocates in the face of this toxicity's prevalence.

Living with cancer and other chronic conditions: Patients' perceptions of their healthcare experience

Multimorbidity is known to contribute to the complexity of care for patients with cancer. This qualitative study begins to explore cancer patients' experience with multimodal treatments, that is, treatments for multiple chronic conditions, as well as issues related to navigating the healthcare system. Participants (n=10) were recruited from an ambulatory cancer centre in a large, university-affiliated hospital in Montreal, Quebec. Important challenges were reported in terms of striking a fine balance between acute health needs and underlying ongoing chronic condition(s), experiencing unforeseen treatment complications, and negotiating silos across medical specialties. Participants also wished to be better known by the healthcare team. When reporting a positive care coordination experience, participants often attributed it to the intervention by a nurse navigator. Lastly, participants expected a more personalized care approach and would have liked to be included in multidisciplinary board meetings. Study results underscore the impetus to better integrate care across diseases, enhance person-centred care, and support patients who strive to balance competing needs when facing multimorbidity.

Cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity: current state of knowledge and future research priorities

Cardiotoxicity resulting from direct myocyte damage has been a known complication of cancer treatment for decades. More recently, the emergence of hypertension as a clinically significant side effect of several new agents has been recognized as adversely affecting cancer treatment outcomes. With cancer patients living longer, in part because of treatment advances, these adverse events have become increasingly important to address. However, little is known about the cardiovascular pathogenic mechanisms associated with cancer treatment and even less about how to optimally prevent and manage short- and long-term cardiovascular complications, leading to improved patient safety and clinical outcomes. To identify research priorities, allocate resources, and establish infrastructure required to address cardiotoxicity associated with cancer treatment, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) sponsored a two-day workshop, "Cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity: Understanding the current state of knowledge and future research priorities," in March 2013 in Bethesda, MD. Participants included leading oncology and cardiology researchers and health professionals, patient advocates and industry representatives, with expertise ranging from basic to clinical science. Attendees were charged with identifying research opportunities to advance the understanding of cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity across basic and clinical science. This commentary highlights the key discussion points and overarching recommendations from that workshop.

Competing risks of cancer mortality and cardiovascular events in individuals with multimorbidity

Background

Cancer patients with cardiovascular and other comorbidities are at concurrent risk of multiple adverse outcomes. However, most treatment decisions are guided by evidence from single-outcome models, which may be misleading for multimorbid patients.

Objective

We assessed the interacting effects of cancer, cardiovascular, and other morbidity burdens on the competing outcomes of cancer mortality, serious cardiovascular events, and other-cause mortality.

Design

We analyzed a cohort of 6,500 adults with initial cancer diagnosis between 2001 and 2008, SEER 5-year survival ≥26%, and a range of cardiovascular risk factors. We estimated the cumulative incidence of cancer mortality, a serious cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular mortality), and other-cause mortality over 5 years, and identified factors associated with the competing risks of each outcome using cause-specific Cox proportional hazard models.

Results

Following cancer diagnosis, there were 996 (15.3%) cancer deaths, 328 (5.1%) serious cardiovascular events, and 542 (8.3%) deaths from other causes. In all, 4,634 (71.3%) cohort members had none of these outcomes. Although cancer prognosis had the greatest effect, cardiovascular and other morbidity also independently increased the hazard of each outcome. The effect of cancer prognosis on outcome was greatest in year 1, and the effect of other morbidity was greater in individuals with better cancer prognoses.

Conclusion

In multimorbid oncology populations, comorbidities interact to affect the competing risk of different outcomes. Quantifying these risks may provide persons with cancer plus cardiovascular and other comorbidities more accurate information for shared decision-making than risks calculated from single-outcome models. Journal of Comorbidity 2014;4:29–36

Potential genetic predisposition for anthracycline-associated cardiomyopathy in families with dilated cardiomyopathy

Objective

Anthracyclines are successfully used in cancer treatment, but their use is limited by their cardiotoxic side effects. Several risk factors for anthracycline-associated cardiomyopathy (AACM) are known, yet the occurrence of AACM in the absence of these known risk factors suggests that other factors must play a role. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a genetic predisposition for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) could be a potential risk factor for AACM.

Methods

A hospital-based registry of 162 DCM families and two hospital-based registries of patients with cancer treated with systemic cancer therapy (n>6000) were reviewed focusing on AACM. Selected patients with AACM/DCM families with possible AACM (n=21) were analysed for mutations in cardiomyopathy-associated genes and presymptomatic cardiological evaluation of first-degree relatives was performed.

Results

We identified five DCM families with AACM and one patient with AACM with a family member with a possible early sign of mild DCM. Pathogenic MYH7 mutations were identified in two of these six families. The MYH7 c.1633G>A (p.Asp545Asn) and c.2863G>A (p.Asp955Asn) mutations (one double mutant allele) were identified in a DCM family with AACM. The MYH7 c.4125T>A (p.Tyr1375X) mutation was identified in one patient with AACM.

Conclusions

This study further extends the hypothesis that a genetic predisposition to DCM could be a potential risk factor for AACM.

District nurses' experiences with the free-choice system in Swedish primary care

This article aims to describe the experiences of district nurses regarding their work situation after the free-choice system in primary care in Sweden was implemented. The study comprised a total of 17 semi-structured narratives with district nurses. The narratives were analysed using manifest qualitative content analysis. One category,'being an underused resource', and three subcategories, 'being financially aware','being flexible' and 'being appealing', were identified. A focus on economic benefit can limit the cooperation and exchange of experiences within and between different care units, which could have a negative impact on the quality of care due to competition between different care providers. Underused resources and restrictions in terms of improvement skills have an impact on job satisfaction and the working environment, and affect the quality of care as a result.

Cardiovascular risk factors among long-term survivors of breast, prostate, colorectal, and gynecologic cancers: a gap in survivorship care?

PURPOSE

Individuals diagnosed with high survival cancers will often die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rather than a recurrence of their cancer, yet CVD risk factors may be overlooked during survivorship care. We assess the prevalence of CVD risk factors among long-term cancer survivors and compare results to survey data from the general population in the same geographic region. We also characterize how often at-risk survivors discuss CVD-related health behaviors with their health care providers.

METHODS

Survivors (n = 1,582) of breast, prostate, colorectal, and gynecologic cancers, 4-14 years after diagnosis, were recruited from two California cancer registries for a cross-sectional mail survey. We assessed CVD risk factors, including smoking, body mass index, physical inactivity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as report of discussions with health care providers about diet, exercise, smoking, and lifestyle change assistance.

RESULTS

With the exception of current smoking, CVD risk factors were more common among survivors than the general adult population. Of survivors, 62.0 % were overweight or obese, 55.0 % reported hypertension, 20.7 % reported diabetes, 18.1 % were inactive, and 5.1 % were current smokers. Compared to white, non-Hispanic survivors, Hispanic (b = 0.37, p = 0.007) and African-American (b = 0.66, p < 0.0001), but not Asian, survivors reported significantly more risk factors. One in three survivors with one or more risk factors for CVD did not report a health promotion discussion with their health care providers.

CONCLUSIONS

CVD risk factors are common among long-term survivors, but many at-risk survivors may not discuss lifestyle prevention with their health care team. Primary care and oncology should work together to deliver optimal survivorship care that addresses CVD risk factors, as well as prevalent disease.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Cardiovascular disease may compromise cancer survivors' long-term health and well-being, yet cardiovascular risk factors may be overlooked during survivorship care. We document that CVD risk factors are common among cancers survivors, yet nearly a third of survivors do not report health promotion discussions with their medical teams. Survivors should be aware of their cardiovascular risk factors and initiate discussions with their medical teams about health promotion topics, if appropriate.